MRes Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology

Year of entry: 2024

Overview

Degree awarded
Master of Research
Duration
1 Year Full Time
Entry requirements
We require an honours degree (minimum Upper Second) or overseas equivalent in cognitive neuroscience or psychology, including competent research methods and statistical knowledge, and evidence of a research project/dissertation. A degree in which cognitive neuroscience or psychology forms a major component may be acceptable.

Full entry requirements

How to apply
  • Please apply via our online application form.
  • Select MRes Psychology when applying and then select MRes Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology on the next screen.

See the application and selection section for details of the supporting documents we require. We recommend that you apply as early as possible. We reserve the right to close applications if the course is full.

Course options

Full-time Part-time Full-time distance learning Part-time distance learning
MRes Y N N N

Course overview

  • Prepare for a successful career in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology research in academia or industry. 
  • Receive comprehensive training in critical thinking and experimental methods. 
  • Practise research skills in a major project tailored to your interests, supervised by experts in experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, and neuropsychology. 
  • Gain experience of specialist laboratories and equipment. 
  • This course can form the first year of Research Council-funded 1+3 postgraduate PhD studentships. 

Open days

The next open day webinar will be on Wednesday 13 December, 1pm-2pm. The programme leads will take you through the course structure, its content and units, main themes and what it's like to study master's at Manchester. In the concluding part you will be able to ask any outstanding questions. Book your place here .

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

  • MRes (full-time)
    UK students (per annum): £12,000
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £31,500

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies. All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of courses lasting more than a year for UK students (fees are typically fixed for international students for the course duration at the year of entry).

For general fees information please visit postgraduate fees. Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Contact details

School/Faculty
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Contact name
Admissions team
Telephone
+44 (0)161 529 4563
Email
Website
https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/psychology/
School/Faculty
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Courses in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

We require an honours degree (minimum Upper Second) or overseas equivalent in cognitive neuroscience or psychology, including competent research methods and statistical knowledge, and evidence of a research project/dissertation. A degree in which cognitive neuroscience or psychology forms a major component may be acceptable.

English language

International students must demonstrate English proficiency through a secure and approved testing system.

We ask for English language proof if you are from non-majority English speaking countries (a list of majority English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Home Office, can be found on the GOV.UK website ).

Specifically, we require a minimum of:

  • IELTS: minimum 7.0 overall with 7.0 in writing and 6.5 or above in the remaining components
  • TOEFL: 100 internet-based with 25 in writing and 22 or above in the remaining components

See further information about requirements for your country.

We may also accept evidence of a confirmed place on a University Pre-sessional English language course, if your current IELTS scores are: 

  • Minimum 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing plus enrolment and attendance on the 6-week pre-sessional course (PS6)
  • Minimum 6.0 overall with 6.0 in writing plus enrolment and attendance on the 10-week pre-sessional course (PS10)

Please note, we must approve this before you apply for the English course.

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Other international entry requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements, including English language, see entry requirements from your country.

Application and selection

How to apply

  • Please apply via our online application form.
  • Select MRes Psychology when applying and then select MRes Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology on the next screen.

See the application and selection section for details of the supporting documents we require. We recommend that you apply as early as possible. We reserve the right to close applications if the course is full.

Advice to applicants

We require the following documents before we can consider your application: 

  • Transcript of your studies to date.
  • Degree certificate (if you have already graduated).
  • A personal statement or statement of purpose.
  • An academic reference. You will be required to provide the name and contact details of two referees during completion of the application form. Your referees will be contacted directly and asked to provide a letter of reference. When providing referee details, you must ensure the email addresses are accurate and official, typically ending with an institutional domain. We do not accept references provided from a personal email address, eg Hotmail or Gmail.

If any of the supporting documents is not in English, you must also provide us with an official or certified English translation.

We may ask for additional information in some cases. Each case will be judged on an individual basis.

If English is not your first language, we also require proof of your English language ability. If you have already taken an English language qualification, please include your certificate with your application. We may be willing to consider your application without this document, but if we choose to make you an offer, the conditions will include IELTS (or equivalent qualification).

How your application is considered

We consider your full academic history, including which undergraduate course units you have taken and the marks obtained. When application numbers are high, we will also take into account your marks in relevant undergraduate course units in our final decision making, even if you have met our minimum entry requirements.

Overseas (non-UK) applicants

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1,000 towards their tuition fees before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

You cannot use your CAS to apply for a visa more than three months before the start date of your course. This means that if you intend to begin a course on 18th September 2023, we will not issue you with a CAS number before 18th June 2023.

Your CAS number is only valid for one student visa application.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again.

Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Course details

Course description

Our MRes Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology course will prepare you for a successful research career in experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology.

You will undertake a year-long research project, supported by taught units for comprehensive research skills training.

The major advantage of this course is that you will put the acquired research skills into practice by working with experts in the field for the entire year.

Our supervisors have a wide range of expertise and we will ensure your research project is always tailored towards your research interest. View a list of project examples (PDF, 390KB) and our research.   

Through the taught units, you will receive a strong grounding in the theoretical understanding and practical experience of key research paradigms, research designs and statistical techniques used in experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and neuropsychology.

You will also develop transferable skills training for careers outside academia, including data science skills, science communication, and patient, public and business engagement.

We have a long tradition of producing internationally renowned research and high-quality research training.

Our MRes course is endorsed by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and constitutes the first year of ESRC 1+3 postgraduate PhD studentships awarded through the ESRC Northwest Doctoral Training College for full-time, part-time and CASE students.

PhD with integrated master's

If you're planning to undertake a PhD after your master's, our Integrated PhD programme will enable you to combine your postgraduate taught course with a related PhD project in biology, medicine or health.

You can also visit this page for examples of projects related to integrated master's courses.

Teaching and learning

Our teaching is delivered using a combination of in-person and online lecture-seminars, workshops and problem-based learning exercises in small groups, allowing for individual support and feedback.

You will receive substantial research training through learning by designing, running and analysing studies in close coordination with supervisors.

You are encouraged to participate in research seminars, meetings and workshops within our active and vibrant research community.

If needed, you also have the opportunity to supplement your training with research and career management skills courses provided by the University's Careers Service, a teaching assistant/demonstrators course, and language courses provided by the University's Language Centre.

Key academic staff    

  • Dr Garreth Prendergast – Programme co-director
  • Dr Anna Woollams – Programme co-director

Coursework and assessment

Assessment is by examination, continuous assessment in the form of essays, practical reports and exercises, presentations, skills portfolio and a final dissertation for your research project.

Course unit details

Full-time MRes students take six taught course units. Typical taught course units include:

  • Contemporary Research Skills
  • Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods 
  • Advanced Data Skills, Open Science and Reproducibility
  • Mixed Models, Hackathon and Bayesian Statistics Workshop
  • Research in Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience
  • Cognitive and Social Neuroscience

You will work collaboratively with your supervisor(s) to produce a high-quality dissertation using qualitative, quantitative or mixed research methods. Dissertation work is supported by taught sessions including topics such as literature review, experimental design, critical thinking and data analysis skills.

Course unit list

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Advanced Data Skills, Open Science and Reproducibility PCHN63101 15 Mandatory
Mixed Models, Hackathon and Bayesian Statistics Workshop PCHN63112 15 Mandatory
Contemporary Research Skills PCHN63151 15 Mandatory
Dissertation PCHN63160 90 Mandatory
Research in Neuropsychology and Clinical Neuroscience PCHN63172 15 Mandatory
Cognitive and Social Neuroscience PCHN63182 15 Mandatory
Qualitative Research Methods POPH63121 15 Mandatory

Facilities

You will be able to access a range of facilities throughout the University.

Specialist research labs using techniques such as MRI, fMRI and TMS are not typically accessible for research dissertations conducted on this course.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk

Careers

Career opportunities

Our course is designed primarily for students wishing to pursue research careers in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology. It is also likely to be attractive if you wish to extend your training, with an emphasis on research methods, and if you work in social or health services, or in marketing and related disciplines. Past careers and destinations of our MRes students have included:

  • PhD Researcher
  • Graduate Market Researcher
  • Psychology Assistant
  • Independent Mental Health Advocate
  • Research Assistant
  • NHS Financial Management Graduate Scheme
  • Human Resources
  • Clinical Psychology Doctorate
  • Technical Analyst at NICE
  • Data Scientist in the Tech Industry
  • Project Manager in Medical Electronics
  • Graduate Researcher